Accessible Reading in Practice: Using Assistive Technology to Increase Independence, Motivation, and Learning Outcomes for Students with Print Disabilities

Presenter(s)

Event Details

Topic:

instruction, literacy & inclusion

Format:

demonstration

Subject Level:

intermediate

Age Span:

kindergarten - grade 6
grades 7-12
adult

Target Audience:

AT specialist
autism specialist
educator
K-12 administration
paraprofessional
special educator
teacher of the visually impaired
vision impairment specialist

Professional Development Credits

IACET CEUs:

0.01

ACVREP CEs:

1

Presentation Length: 1 hour

Location:

Plaza 2

Description:

This session will demonstrate how accessible reading technologies can be implemented to remove barriers and improve independence, motivation and academic outcomes for students with dyslexia, vision impairment and other print-based disabilities. Presenters will demonstrate practical strategies for providing access to curriculum-aligned texts through Bookshare® library of over 1 million accessible titles. Participants will explore how text personalization, read aloud support and navigation features can be used to reduce cognitive load and improve sustained engagement. The session will also showcase AI supported “Explore” tools – including summaries, quizzes, revision flashcards and text based questioning – to support comprehension and independent study. Concrete classroom, school and district implementation examples will be shared, along with evidence from research and action projects.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• As a result of this activity, participants will be able to identify at least three barriers faced by students with print disabilities and match each barrier to an appropriate accessible reading or assistive technology solution.

• As a result of this activity, participants will be able to demonstrate how students access curriculum aligned materials through Bookshare® and configure text personalization and read aloud features to support individual needs.

• As a result of this activity, participants will understand how to apply AI supported reading tools, including summaries, quizzes, and flashcards, to improve comprehension and independent study skills.

Disclosures:

Simon receives salary from employment.